The Laguna Rosa is the famous pink salt lake of Torrevieja, on the southern Costa Blanca — one of a pair of lagoons that make up a protected natural park. Its water can turn a remarkable shade of pink, the colour produced by salt-loving microorganisms and the brine shrimp that feed on them.
The pink is strongest under bright sun and from the air, so it can look more muted up close or on a cloudy day, but the salt flats, white salt mountains and the sheer strangeness of the colour still make it a striking sight. The water is intensely salty — close to the Dead Sea — so it is easy to float in.
The lagoons are still a working salt industry and a haven for birdlife, with flamingos among the regular visitors. Access points are limited and it is partly fenced, so it pays to head for the marked viewing areas rather than expecting easy shoreline all around.